


he Wy o  Womn' Her

by Meatball42



Series: Rare Pairs [150]
Category: The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Bechdel Test Pass, Deliberate Badfic, Other, Possibly Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22211893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: Clire's hd  rough dy. Luckily, her cloe friend Colleen i in wih  pln.
Relationships: Group: Your Fave & Your Favorite Food & Making Reader Hongry - Relationship, Pre-Claire Temple/Colleen Wing?, maybe?
Series: Rare Pairs [150]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/365729
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7
Collections: Exchanges After Dark Birthday Bash 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ashling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashling/gifts).



> In deference to the recip's requests, this story contains no uses of the letters a, b, p, s, or t.

Clire hd een rving for hour efore he go o he home. Work hd een hiy h dy- oo mny cuomer, no enough ff on hnd, nd hlf of he order go en ck ecue he new ou chef w mking every mike in he ook. hey'd een le cloing he kichen, le clening u, nd fer mking weny le of he new lm dih in one nigh, he mell w lodged in Clire' noe nd he couldn' imgine eing in he kichen. omch growling, he'd driven oo f on he wy home, living he hough of heing u ome of he ou he'd mde l week nd frozen, eing in fron of he V efore colling in ed.

Oh, he glmorou life of he rofeionl chef.

u her rmen wn' drk when Clire' hking finger finlly go he key o urn in her door. here were lm on, nd quie muic from he kichen, nd he evergreen cndle h hd een Chrim gif w li on he coffee le. omeone w moving round in he kichen, nd Clire ook off her co nd e down her ure wrily.

"Colleen?" he clled. Colleen w he only eron who hd re key, hough Clire hd no ide why Colleen would hve come over on rndom hurdy.

"In here!"

Clire oed off her hoe nd followed Colleen' voice. he cme o o in he doorwy, hnd over her mouh.

he kichen le w covered y he le green dih e h Clire hd een gifed yer go nd never ued. Ech dih w filled wih one of Clire' fvorie food, wih no oher rhyme or reon o mching e. Cndied ym glemed eide n-fried gyoz, le of deviled egg w decored wih eoned rgu nd ucked u eide lile ry of ureek. Colleen w irring omehing on he oveo h Clire' noe—nd her wiing omch—immediely idenified New York clm chowder; nd no ju ny recie, u he recie her moher hd wrien ou for her on lile crd h Clire ke ucked wy in ox in her edroom.

rm curled genly round Clire' houlder, nd he w queezing Colleen ighly efore he even relized h he'd een lumed gin he doorwy, hking lighly, wih er in her eye.

"Wh' hi for?" he muered wely ino Colleen' hir.

Colleen lughed, in Clire' er nd oo loud, u Clire ju held her cloer.

"I' your irhdy, illy!"

"No i in'," Clire id wihou hinking. "h' omorrow."

"I' midnigh," Colleen counered. he lened ck o h Clire could ee her wee mile he ruhed Clire' ng wy from her eye. "I knew you'd hve le nigh. I hough you hould feed your oul for once ined of feeding everyone ele'."

Clire' eye welled u gin nd he hd o cling o Colleen for long minue efore he could wie her eye nd e wy.

"I hould wh my hnd, huh?"

"nd mye chnge ino omehing you don' mind ining," Colleen greed, eing. "I've een how you e when you're relly hungry."

"Only if he food' good!"

"You hink I cn' cook?" Colleen ked, eye wide nd fux-hur, hnd over her her. "I gue you don' wn o ry my new chocole moue recie, hen?"

"Don' r wihou me!" Clire clled, hlfwy o her edroom.

Colleen' lugher filled he rmen. Clire couldn' hve ked for eer irhdy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is also a version with the bad letters, but it's up to Ashling whether that can be displayed to innocent eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with bonus letters.

Claire had been starving for hours before she got home. Work had been shitty that day- too many customers, not enough staff on hand, and half of the orders got sent back because the new sous chef was making every mistake in the book. They'd been late closing the kitchen, late cleaning up, and after making twenty plates of the new lamb dish in one night, the smell was lodged in Claire's nose and she couldn't imagine eating in the kitchen. Stomach growling, she'd driven too fast on the way home, salivating at the thought of heating up some of the soup she'd made last week and frozen, eating in front of the TV before collapsing in bed.

Oh, the glamorous life of the professional chef.

But her apartment wasn't dark when Claire's shaking fingers finally got the key to turn in her door. There were lamps on, and quiet music from the kitchen, and the evergreen candle that had been a Christmas gift was lit on the coffee table. Someone was moving around in the kitchen, and Claire took off her coat and set down her purse warily.

"Colleen?" she called. Colleen was the only person who had a spare key, though Claire had no idea why Colleen would have come over on a random Thursday.

"In here!"

Claire toed off her shoes and followed Colleen's voice. She came to a stop in the doorway, hand over her mouth.

The kitchen table was covered by the pale green dish set that Claire had been gifted years ago and never used. Each dish was filled with one of Claire's favorite foods, with no other rhyme or reason to matching tastes. Candied yams gleamed beside pan-fried gyoza, a plate of deviled eggs was decorated with seasoned asparagus and tucked up beside a little tray of bureek. Colleen was stirring something on the stovetop that Claire's nose—and her twisting stomach—immediately identified as New York clam chowder; and not just any recipe, but the recipe her mother had written out for her on a little card that Claire kept tucked away in a box in her bedroom.

Arms curled gently around Claire's shoulders, and she was squeezing Colleen tightly before she even realized that she'd been slumped against the doorway, shaking slightly, with tears in her eyes.

"What's this for?" she muttered wetly into Colleen's hair.

Colleen laughed, in Claire's ear and too loud, but Claire just held her closer.

"It's your birthday, silly!"

"No it isn't," Claire said without thinking. "That's tomorrow."

"It's past midnight," Colleen countered. She leaned back so that Claire could see her sweet smile as she brushed Claire's bangs away from her eyes. "I knew you'd have a late night. I thought you should feed your soul for once instead of feeding everyone else's."

Claire's eyes welled up again and she had to cling to Colleen for a long minute before she could wipe her eyes and step away.

"I should wash my hands, huh?"

"And maybe change into something you don't mind staining," Colleen agreed, teasing. "I've seen how you eat when you're really hungry."

"Only if the food's good!"

"You think I can't cook?" Colleen asked, eyes wide and faux-hurt, a hand over her heart. "I guess you don't want to try my new chocolate mousse recipe, then?"

"Don't start without me!" Claire called, halfway to her bedroom.

Colleen's laughter filled the apartment. Claire couldn't have asked for a better birthday.


End file.
